Battle of the Bikes - Gokada V Max.ng V ORide

There is no Nigerian - tall, short, rich, poor, etc that cannot attest to the “comfort” motorcycles popularly known as Okada has brought to their lives.

It is amazing to be in the era where we have seen Okada’s transcend from just the normal motorcycles to the era of compulsory helmets followed by Governor Fashola banning them from the highways. Today we see what many perceive as a “basic model” enabled by technology change the transport game in lagos and other cities within 6 months from launch.

I also noticed that former Okada men buy helmets, paint it a similar colour and try to woo customers at a cheaper rate than the bike hailing apps.

Enough of the introduction! Let’s get into it! We will be using various metrics to compare the different bike hailing apps- FAQ’s , research and experience from customers are used in making our analysis.

1. APP Functionality

Gokada , Max.ng and ORide ( App is called OPay) all have apps on Android and IOS. It took OPay a while to have her app on IOS. The Gokada App has also evolved from where she started- calling the Gokada drivers (called “Pilots”) one by one until one agrees to go your way. As regards the User Interface / User Experience Gokada and Max.ng are dragging the title. Gokada is straight to the point - gives room to calculate your fare, report a bad Pilot, view promotions, etc from one click after the landing page. With Max.ng Yellow is a striking colour and will always be appealing. It is also easy to use.

The Gokada App has a feauture on the driver  app where the Pilot can put in your phone number and destination afterwhich you can start the trip. This is very key as most times we stop the Pilots where we see them. Max.ng does not have this feature which is quite sad. I am not certain on OPay’s status so I will be silent. The end goal should be a simple QR Barcode instead of the phone number method by drivers. The app needs to be updated by the three contenders ASAP.

I personally do not enjoy the compass method OPay uses in searching for drivers. Let us stick to the Uber method. I want to see the street my rider is on even before he/ she accepts the trip.

Users may prefer the OPay app because it provides a plethora of services, hence it is a one stop shop for many essential services. ( Ocar, Obus, OFood, Owallet). Others may complain there is too much going on which may confuse the User.

2. Ease of Payment

Gokada is definitely coming last in this segment. The restriction to cash payments only is limiting them more than they realize. We are slowly becoming a cashless society and the Pilots hardly accept USSD ( with good reason, they have probably been cheated in the Past).

Max.ng gives the option of card, cash and wallet. The fact that wallet is not a compulsory step gives room for optionality, hence they are definitely winning this round.

ORide is a tad bit complicated. You can load your wallet and pay from your wallet. However, sometimes you may not have money in your wallet, Passengers and Riders have been able to work around this by paying the Rider cash, in return the Rider credits the wallet of the Passenger.

3. Affordability

In this category ORide wins with a landslide. Common! Sometimes you pay only N10!!! We know this is a marketing strategy but for as long as it is available we will continue to enjoy it. Gokada comes in second and has similar price range with Max.ng . However Max.ng is the least affordable.

4. Bike Capacity

Gokada, Max.ng and ORide all have bikes with 200cc engine. ORide bikes have a preadjusted speed limit of 60Kmph. New ORide bikes also have a back-rest which makes a lot of difference to customers. Max.ng is moving to electric bikes which may be a game changer in the bike hailing wars. The Max E Series will be safer for the environment, 50% cheaper to operate than gas engines and noiseless. Charging stations will need to be set up as well. Gokada helmets are DOT certified by the United States Department of Transportation. This means they can withstand any form of motorcycle accident that may occur. Max Helmets are ISO certified.

An interview with a Rider revealed that Gokada Bikes cost as high as N700,000. ORide bikes costs averagely N200,000. Max.ng bikes are rumored to cost around N500,000 - N600,000. This information is not available to the general public, therefore the prices here are merely speculative.

5. Customer Experience/ Driver Professionalism

Max.ng is leading the pack in this sector. The Riders called “Champions”  are courteous, always obey traffic signs, patient and are generally more professional. Gokada is second with fairly reasonable Pilots. They are very proud to be part of the Gokada brand which says a lot about their satisfaction with the company. ORide Riders have shouted at me more than twice on the phone, very impatient because they are in high demand and will easily find another Passenger. I have witnessed 2 falls from an ORide bike; thank God it wasn’t fatal. The ORide Riders seem less professional as well. I had an experience where the Rider switched off his phone because he could not locate me. He had already accepted the trip. After 10-12 minutes of failed efforts to reach him I had to cancel the trip, and we know with ORide once you cancel a trip you are not going to be prioritized.

6. Customer Service

Customer service can be reactive or proactive.   Reactive is linked to a dissatisfaction  of the customer and a filing of such complaint by the Customer. Proactive may be via feedback or using analytics to determine customers that may be dissatisfied. ORide is definitely leading in customer service fast response time. Implementation is one area I do not have enough evidence to comment on. Max.ng is second as regards customer service. Gokada does a better job of Feedback customer service. To be fair, reactive customer service may not be rampant where your customers are satisfied.

7. Availability

I have been stuck in situations where all three bike hailing apps frustrated me and I ended up going to the nearest bus stop and manually getting a rider. However, it is not in doubt that ORide is the most available! You have a higher chance of finding an ORide Bike than any of the others. Gokada comes in second and Max.ng is definitely the most scarce. Hopefully , with the advent of their electric bikes we will have more Max bikes available.

8. Driver Satisfaction

Companies don’t succeed, People Do! It is imperative that the Riders/Pilots/Champions are sufficiently satisfied  with the companies they work with, otherwise this will affect how the customers are treated and the company in the long run. It is hard to decide which company has the highest percentage of satisfied drivers, however, we can look at the benefits the drivers enjoy. Max.ng boasts that Champions earn 3 times more than they will earn as independent drivers, enjoy accident insurance, option of a one year loan repayment plan for the bikes  and are part of a community - I can attest to the feeling of dignity most Max Champions carry along while dropping off passengers.

Gokada commits itself to empowerment of her Pilots via health insurance, access to loans, option of a one year payment plan for its bikes. Gokada also put in place G-Medics which provides first aid service to Pilots  and Passengers in the event of accidents before transferring them to a hospital. ORide Riders seem to be the least satisfied- complaints range from the struggle to reach target per day, the heavy cost of resigning due to the watertight contract signed amongst others.

Comparative Analysis

One thing this exercise taught me is data for Nigerian Startups are so difficult to find. It was such a Herculean task to access basic information. The three Startups should start with updating their FAQ’s. I could not comment on Passenger safety options put in place because this information was not made available to the public  by the startups, the number or bikes by each startup was also not available amongst other important information.

It is hard to crown a winner in this battle because what matters to each Passenger differs. I might be more interested in availability while you might prioritize affordability. However, one thing we are certain of is this battle is far from over. Do not fret! I will be right here to update you at all times!

May the Best Helmet Win!!!

Love,

Iperu Girl

P.S What bike hailing app do you use frequently and why?